July Talk: Touch X Tour @ Commodore Ballroom -- March 11, 2026

Ten years ago, Toronto rockers July Talk released their acclaimed sophomore album Touch. And to celebrate the anniversary, they’ve released a deluxe vinyl as well as embarked on the Touch X Tour with not one, but two stops at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.

Opening the night was Vancouver’s own Gay Nineties. The band recently returned from a hiatus, as Parker Bossley, Bruce Ledingham, Malcolm Holt, and Pascal Le Vasseur took the stage with a mix of old & new songs. From the incendiary “Hold Your Fire” to new teases with “Tidal Wave”, the band is as sharp as ever, with Bossley hinting at a new album coming soon.
After Parker and Pascal swapped guitar & bass, they slipped in a cover of the 80s classic “One Thing Leads to Another” by The Fixx, which lead into the brand new single, “Internet, Sex & Drugs” before an old favourite “Letterman”, the soaring chorus bringing the set to a huge finish. If the new tunes are any indication, I will be looking forward tot he new album!

It wasn’t long before the lights dimmed and a montage of clips about the word ‘touch’ played over the speakers, with July Talk hitting the stage; singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay Goldstein, guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton, drummer Danny Miles, and Dani Nash on percussion.

They started off the set by playing Touch in full, immediately launching into the first track “Picturing Love” before Peter welcomed to everyone, including 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and giving a land acknowledgement. Leah then adding they were going to put their money where their collective mouths are with a donation to the Urban Native Youth Association, before going back into the album with “Beck + Call”. From the explosive “Now I Know” to the eerie “Strange Habit”, and my favourite, the steamy “Lola + Joseph”, they burst through the album with an unparalleled energy and Peter + Leah’s contrasting vocals blending together beautifully.

After the simmering slow burn of the title track, they slipped in “Love’s Not Dead”, a b-side from that era (also the name of the bonus album that is included with the new vinyl). Peter then exclaimed “that was the album, now let’s party!” and they immediately launched into a favourite of mine, the frenetic “Summer Dress” with the sold out room singing along. True to his word, the band kept the party going for the second half of the set, delving through their catalogue from “Certain Father” off their latest album Remember Never Before, back to their self-titled debut with “I Am Water”.

They wrapped up the set with the incredible catchy singalong “Paper Girl”, which they said they hadn’t played in a while, and were soon back for a couple more with everyone joining in. First with another one of my favourites, the explosive “Guns + Ammunition”, and one last rager with “The Garden”.

The first time I saw July Talk was a little over ten years ago, on that very stage at the Commodore (opening for Matt Mays in 2013). They immediately hooked me with their raucous music and exciting live show, and if anything, that’s only been amplified over the last decade. Peter and Leah have an incredible stage chemistry, and even visibly pregnant she was stalking around the stage, dancing, and singing with Peter & other bandmates. They’re back at the Commodore tonight (March 12) so hopefully you can make it there.

setlist
Picturing Love
Beck + Call
Now I Know
Johnny + Mary
Strange Habit
Push + Pull
Lola + Joseph
So Sorry
Jesus Said So
Touch
Love’s Not Dead
Summer Dress
Gentleman
My Neck
Certain Father
I Am Water
Paper Girl
(encore)
Guns + Ammunition
The Garden

Kathleen Edwards @ Commodore Ballroom -- February 27, 2026

A few months ago, Kathleen Edwards released her sixth album Billionaire and last night she returned to the Commodore Ballroom on her Winter Tour. The last time I saw her was a stripped down show at the Biltmore (and the last time before that, was prior to her hiatus from music) so I was eager to see her again with a full band.

Unfortunately I missed the opener, Altameda, but at 9 sharp, “Thank You For Being a Friend” blast over the speakers as Kathleen Edwards took the stage, joined by her band: Gord Tough on guitar, Aaron Goldstein on pedal steel, Paul Lauren on keys, Matt Sucich on bass, and Peter Von Althen on drums.

Edwards started the set with “Say Goodbye, Tell No One” off her latest album, and tore through her catalogue, from the classic “One More Song the Radio Won’t Like” off her debut Failer, to “Glenfern” from her comeback album Total Freedom (switching out the Horseshoe in the lyrics and name dropping the Railway). Other highlights included an emotionally charged “Asking for Flowers”; Kathleen breaking out the violin for “A Soft Place to Land” and song building to a gorgeous finish; the vitriolic “Back To Me” which started out with just Edwards before the band kicked in; and “Little Red Ranger” where she was careful to make sure the audience had some sympathy when mentioning the Leafs.

Edwards chatted with the crowd between songs, opening up a few times during the set mentioning the last time she was on this stage she was in a bad place (it was in 2012 and she went on her hiatus not long after) but the Commodore was one of her favourite venues and she’s happy to replace those memories. She also shared a story about a couple friends & employees from Quitters, one who was the photographer for the new album cover & working merch that night, and one who suddenly passed away recently & was the inspiration for the absolutely heartbreaking “Billionaire”, which had Kathleen’s voice soaring over the room and bringing tears to eyes.

After another favourite, the raw and rocking “Change the Sheets” and throwback to the “Six O’Clock News”, Edwards wrapped up the set with “Hard on Everyone”, but was soon back out for the encore. First, she dedicated “Goodnight, California” to the show’s promoter who she went to elementary school with(!), and saw the band going all out for the finish, then capped the night off with a fun Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover, “Powderfinger”.

By the time the show ended, I didn’t realise she had played for nearly two hours. With her effortless & charming stage presence and incredible songwriting — as well as the phenomenal music chops of her backing band — the show flew by and I could’ve listened to her sing all night.

setlist
Say Goodbye, Tell No One
Save Your Soul
One More Song the Radio Won’t Like
Glenfern
Mint
Asking for Flowers
A Soft Place to Land
When the Truth Comes Out
In State
Back To Me
Little Red Ranger
Billionaire
Options Open
Change the Sheets
Six O’Clock News
Hard on Everyone
(encore)
Goodnight, California
Powderfinger [Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover]

Odds @ Commodore Ballroom -- February 20, 2026

Almost exactly a year after their show with Limblifter, Odds have returned to the Commodore, bringing another fun opening act with them!

This year, they were joined by Strippers Union, who hit the stage with the lead singer proclaiming how honoured they were to be opening for a very prestigious act like Odds. That lead singer, of course, being Craig Northey, as the supergroup was a collaboration between him and Rob Baker from The Tragically Hip, with Simon Kendall from Doug & the Slugs and other members of Odds rounding out the band.

Kicking off with “Invitation” from their 2021 double album, The Undertaking, their set sounded exactly like you would hope from the combination of Odds & the Hip. Rob ripped on guitar through songs like the haunting “Nothing Can Bring You Back” and “Bullet-Proof White Limo”, which he also took over lead vocals for. And Odds catchiness was on full display with songs like “Give Up and Go Away”, from their debut album Local 518.

They wrapped up the set with the incendiary “Shake It Off (Walking With The King of Funk)”, with Craig mentioning it was their first time playing in quite some time, but hopefully not the last. And after the brief set, I would love to see them again soon.

After a break, it was time for Odds as Craig Northey, Doug Elliott, Murray Atkinson, and Kurt Dahle took the stage, launching into an immediate singalong to “It Falls Apart”. Their set weaved through their entire catalogue, going as far back as their first album Neopolitan with the energetic “Love Is the Subject”, up to “Staring at a Blank Page” from their most recent Crash the Time Machine.

Throughout the night they bubbled with energy, joking with the crowd & teasing each other, giving away ‘industry secrets’ like the requirements for all 90s music videos before going into “King of the Heap” (the video hitting every one). And that energy poured off stage through songs like the classic “Make You Mad”, the Who-esque “Write It in Lightning”, and the deceptively dark “Nothing Beautiful”.

Unfortunately, Murray wasn’t able to sing for the show, so his usual songs were shared; Craig took over “Eat My Brain”, and Atkinson split vocal duties with Doug for a rare appearance of one of my favourite of theirs, “Heterosexual Man” — before the song, Northey joked they had to retire it for a while because somehow people weren’t getting the satire.

After Elliott took lead vocals on “Truth Untold “, Craig announced they would be inviting up a fan who posted a cover of the next song on their Instagram... only for Vancouver blues legend Colin James to hit the stage and close out the main set with the eternally catchy “Someone Who’s Cool”.

Odds made the crowd work for the encore, but they were back out with Rob Baker & Simon Kendall to play their tribute to Gord Downie, “Walk Among the Stars” as another special guest crept on stage to join in on the chorus, Craig’s Trans-Canada Highwaymen bandmate Steven Page!

Page got the crowd to give it up for the band and introduced his attempt at writing an Odds song, launching into the Barenaked Ladies hit “It’s All Been Done” and following it with one of my favourite BNL tunes, “Old Apartment” with the Commodore singing along in excitement. As the song wrapped up, they segued into the chorus of “Hey Jude” for a big finish to the night, everyone on stage celebrating.

Near the end of the set, the band teased they were trying to make this an annual thing, with ‘Odds Feb Fest’ bringing out special guests and surprises every year. And if these last two shows are any indication, I’ll definitely be back next year.

Odds setlist
It Falls Apart
Make You Mad
Satisfied
Write It in Lightning
Staring at a Blank Page
King of the Heap
Nothing Beautiful
Anything You Want
Eat My Brain
He Thinks He Owns You
Not a Lot Goin’ On
Radios of Heaven
Car Crash Love
Heterosexual Man
Love Is the Subject
Truth Untold
Someone Who’s Cool
(encore)
Walk Among the Stars
It’s All Been Done [Barenaked Ladies Cover]
Old Apartment [Barenaked Ladies Cover]

Strippers Union setlist
We Are the Underworld
Nothing Can Bring You Back
High
Bulletproof White Limo
Making Strange
Give Up & Go Away
Shake It Off (Walking With the King of Funk)

The Trews @ Commodore Ballroom -- February 13, 2026

Over the years, I’ve seen Antigonish rockers The Trews a number of times, but somehow it’s been almost a full decade since they last time I caught them (and even that was a free Canada Day show!) So when they announced they’d be kicking off The Bloody Light Tour at the Commodore, celebrating the new album of the same name, I was eager to see them again.

I missed the opening band, Eddy and the Dirty Boys, but I quickly want to shout out whoever was doing the music, because the between-set playlist was full of 90s CanCon Alt Rock like Age of Electric, I Mother Earth, Wide Mouth Mason, and Sloan.

But soon enough the lights dimmed and The Trews took the stage, brothers Colin & John-Angus MacDonald, Jack Syperek, and Theo Mckibbon were joined by Jeff Heisholt on keys and occasionally Josh Macintosh taking over Colin’s guitar. They started off with “Manifest” from The Bloody Light, and alternated the set between songs off the new album and old favourites like “Tired of Waiting” which immediately had the crowd singing along.

From the heartfelt “Carolina” and “The Breakdown” bubbling with intensity, to the crowd living up to the name of “Sing Your Heart Out” and adding the ‘whoa-oh-ohs’ to “Hope & Ruin”, they spanned their vast catalogue over a two hour set. Other highlights included the manic “Paranoid Freak”, which Colin joked he was renaming to “The Realist” or “The Practical One” given everything since the song came out (dropping an unexpected reference to Bugonia), as well as the drinking shanty “Ishmael & Maggie” which saw the band wade through the crowd while everyone joined in on as they stood in the middle of the Ballroom’s bouncy floor.

Later in the set, they dedicated “Don’t Get Lost In The Dark” to BC and the people in Tumbler Ridge, and had everyone hold up their lights for “Highway of Heroes”, honouring everyone carried home.
Following that was a spotlight on Theo tearing up the drums, and John-Angus on guitar as he hopped off stage, went to the back of the room, up on the balcony, and around the other side, returning to the stage — all while shredding — before they played an old standard which transitioned into one of my faves, “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me”.

The main set finished off with the incendiary “Hold Me in Your Arms”, but the band was almost immediately back out, inviting Eddy and the Dirty Boys to join in on “Endless Weekend”, before the perennial banger “Not Ready to Go”, and wrapping up the night with a cover of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, Colin giving his best Roger Daltrey Yeeaaaahhhhh

One thing I always loved about seeing The Trews live was their raw energy and passion that radiated off stage, and after two hours(!) at the Commodore, they still have that in spades for an incredible live show.

setlist
Manifest
Tired of Waiting
Get a Handle on It
So She’s Leaving
Carolina
Sing Your Heart Out
The Breakdown
Hope & Ruin
One Fine Night
Paranoid Freak
Ishmael & Maggie
The Bloody Light
I Can’t Stop Laughing
Don’t Get Lost In The Dark
Highway of Heroes
Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me
Hold Me in Your Arms
(encore)
Endless Weekend
Not Ready to Go
Won’t Get Fooled Again [The Who cover]

Sloan: A Tour de Force @ Commodore Ballroom -- November 15, 2025

If I’m being honest, I’ve always been a more casual fan of Sloan. Most of their singles are incredible bangers, going back to the 1900s, but I’ve only dipped in and out of their full albums through the years. That said, I did check out the new one, Based on the Best Seller, and when I realised it’s been about 16 years since the last time I saw the Canadian rock legends live, I knew I needed to fix that with the Vancouver stop of ‘A Tour de Force’ at the Commodore Ballroom. 

There was no opening act for the night, as the house lights went down and the screens flanking the stage showed the “Coming Attractions”, fake short trailers for movies based on a few of the songs off the new album, before the “Feature Presentation” as Chris Murphy, Jay Ferguson, Patrick Pentland, and Andrew Scott took the stage, joined by Gregory Macdonald backing them up on, well, everything.

The Haligonian band started off with “Capitol Cooler” and “Live Forever” from their latest release, before weaving through nearly all of their fourteen(!) albums. Going from one of my favourites, “The Other Man” with its moody narrative off Pretty Together, to the incredibly infectious “Ill Placed Trust” from Never Hear the End of It, and the impeccable melody of “Lines You Amend” from One Chord to Another.

In true Sloan fashion, members rotated around and each took lead vocals for their songs, the others joining in excellent harmonies. Murphey even replacing Scott on the drums when he came up to sing songs like “Baxter” (after being serenaded by the audience due to it being his birthday).

They wrapped up the first half of the night with “Unkind” before announcing they’d be back, and after a half hour intermission the band returned (just in time, as the crowd was starting to get antsy) with my highlight from the new album “Dream Destroyer”.

They kept the energy up through the second half of the evening, from raucous songs like “All Used Up” to more laid back “Witch’s Wand”, and the bouncy “The Rest of My Life” which transitioned perfectly into their energetic smash single “Money City Maniacs”, the stage lights turning red and the whole crowd yelling along.

But they still had a few left in them as they were back with the deep cut “Snowsuit Sound” followed by another one of my favourites, the snarky “Underwhelmed” which one again had the sold out room joining in, and then leading into “The Good in Everyone” for a joyous finale.

It was a very fun show, with Sloan proving to fans old and new just why they’ve earned their status over the last three decades. And hopefully I won’t make it another sixteen years before seeing them again!

set two
Dream Destroyer
Congratulations
Fortune Teller
No Damn Fears
I Can’t Sleep
The Dogs
All Used Up
Witch’s Wand
The Rest of My Life
Money City Maniacs
(encore)
Snowsuit Sound
Underwhelmed
The Good in Everyone

set one
Capitol Cooler
Live Forever
Scratch the Surface
Right to Roam
The Other Man
Ill Placed Trust
Baxter
Traces 
Dream It All Over Again
All I Am Is All You're Not
So Far Down
The Lines You Amend
Take It In
Unkind